Commuters in Sekhukhune District continue to face transport challenges after the suspension of Great North Transport (GNT) bus services amid a dispute between the company and local taxi associations.
The buses stopped operating on October 13, leaving commuters in Marble Hall and Groblersdal without reliable, affordable public transport.

The dispute centres on an alleged delay in implementing an agreed 30% relief fund for taxi owners, according to Sekhukhune Affected Taxi Associations co-ordinator Leonard Magaela.
Magaela said taxi operators were promised the funding after they intervened when GNT faced a collapse, and its buses were not operating at full capacity.

He said discussions had been ongoing for the past two years without a resolution, prompting the associations to take action.
Magaela also cited GNT’s expansion of its bus routes from 150 to more than 480 as another source of frustration among taxi operators. The disruption comes shortly after GNT introduced new buses in the district as part of efforts to improve public transport reliability.

Commuters struggle with high travel costs

Commuters who rely on the service have been among those hardest hit. Commuter Tumelo Mohale said the absence of buses had made travelling difficult for workers and schoolchildren, particularly those who had purchased weekly or monthly tickets.
Another commuter, Loti Mavuso, who works in Groblersdal, said using taxis was unaffordable for many low-income earners.
“We are engaging with them in Sekhukhune District to resolve the problem,” said GNT spokesperson Leo Gama. “We can only resume operations once the situation improves.”

Talks yield hope of service resumption

However, there may be a breakthrough after engagements between the parties.
Speaking to the Observer on Thursday afternoon, Magaela said the parties had reached a consensus and were hopeful that bus services would resume on October 27, after the associations had briefed their members.
“We agreed that they will offer us space to operate with seven buses on lease while we are waiting for subcontracting,” Magaela said.